Yasmin Williams

What's your favorite song? There's a good chance a woman played on it. Lincoln Center's I Am the Band celebrates the women behind many of pop, rock, and soul's biggest successes: studio and touring musicians, women in bands, and artists who aren't only stellar singers but also killer instrumental powerhouses. From the classic rock and soul era, through the indie and folk hitmakers of the '80s, the Lilith Fair stars and backing band members for Missy Elliott in the '90s, onward to modern 21st-century innovators, women instrumentalists have always stood at the center of music. An all-star, all-women band of musical virtuosos—including Wendy and Lisa of Prince and the Revolution, Ms. Bobbye Hall (Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks), Scarlet Rivera (Bob Dylan), and many more—will join music critic Ann Powers for an evening featuring an exciting cast of vocalists to be revealed in early June, as they interpret some of the great songs that women made memorable. Featured Artists Allison Russell, vocals and clarinet Bridget Everett, vocals Lisa Fischer, vocals Wendy Melvoin, guitar (Prince) Lisa Coleman, guitar (Prince) Scarlet Rivera, violin (Bob Dylan) Bobbye Hall, percussion (Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, Bill Withers, Stevie Nicks) Gail Ann Dorsey, bass (David Bowie) Vanessa Carlton, piano Yasmin Williams, guitar Jordan Brooke Hamlin (Indigo Girls), Musical Director Hosted by Ann Powers